Untitled Chapter seven

I grabbed money from the wall space and then opened an entry way that took me to the orient. I had wanted a place where I would be able to find most of the spices right away; and here I had that option. And I was able to find almost everything that I needed; except for the right money. Eventually I was able to barter for it with the necklace that my mother had left me; after all she had left two of them. This seemed infinitely more important.
I returned to the cave and placed all these items into the wall storage. There were three more ingredients left that I needed to get, the one being the hardest, Christians blood. But one step at a time, first I had to find the other two. So I focused on the first ingredient and opened an entry way to where I could find it. I found myself back in the states, and at a very odd little curio store in down town New York. When I asked about the herb, he looked at me very strangely.
“Do you know what that herb is used for?” he asked me.
“I don’t know all the uses, but I do know what I need it for.”
“This herb is nicknamed the vampire sprig.”
“That would fit then,” I said getting a little annoyed with the sales clerk.
“As long as you are sure you know what you are getting,” he said as he rang it up and I paid him.
I walked away being just a little annoyed. Since I was there I decided to go ahead and do a little extra shopping. I was in need of something to cheer myself up. I bought a few books and then some stationary; I decided that the least I could do was write to my family and friends letting them know that I am ok. So I sat at a café and wrote letters while I ate. I still couldn’t figure out that sales clerk, they sale the herb why would they try and talk people out of buying it.
I mailed the letters before I went home. Two ingredients left, I didn’t quite know where I would be going to so I tried to be as prepared as possible before opening the entry way again. This time I opened one to the grove and was a bit puzzled, I didn’t know what the plant looked like. I finally had to request for it to show itself. A small plant to the edge glowed briefly.
I went and picked the plant as I stared at it I wondered how stupid I must be. I realized that I probably could have created most of the herbs if not all of them. I went back to the cave and added it to the collection as I read the instructions. I could mix them all together and then as soon as I added the blood I was to consume it immediately; the effects were to happen very quickly. I laid down and stared at the ceiling to the cave; trying to come up with the courage to ask Christian.
It had been two days since I finished collecting all the ingredients, well all except the one. I followed the directions on what parts to use and how to prepare them all; the good thing was that you could prepare all of it in advance and then at the last minute add the blood and consume. Once it was all together I looked at the container and debated about the two biggest questions that I had right now. One was having the courage to ask Christian for his blood. The second was whether or not I would even have the courage to use it if I did.
Of course the second question was not worth worry about if I couldn’t make it through the first question. I placed the ingredients back into the wall storage and the only thing left was the small container I had purchased to measure and store his blood until I could mix them all together. After pacing the room for several minutes I finally decided to take control of my life, my destiny and I was going to start now. I would demand that Christian give me the blood so that I could be free of all of this.
I left my cave and headed down towards Christians, I had thought about just using an entry way but decided that would be the chicken way out. If I was going to convince Christian or myself for that matter, that I could take care of myself then I needed to do so. At least the weather was perfect, this world was perfect and I knew that I belonged here.
His cave was empty; it actually looked as if it had been empty for days. It had been days since I told him to go away. I wandered around the cave seeing it differently as I remembered the times we had spent together here. This of course made me think about my mother and how she had felt about Matthew; there was no hope for me and Christian, not as we were right now. There was too much that would get in the way.
I sat down on the bed and thought about the times that he had held me, and the times that he had bit me. And then there was the inevitable question of where is my life leading me. My mother had hoped that I would never return to this world, and yet things had happened forcing me into this world. Again my mind flooded with questions about my future and what exactly happens when I go back and forth between worlds; how does it affect my body?
I heard something moving outside and I reached over and placed my hand on the ground, I listened carefully. It was amazing how in tune I could become with this world, I could hear everything all at once. Somewhere in the distance I could hear the crying again, which really bothered me. Then I heard the noise again closer, there were several of them outside in the woods near the clearing. I knew it had to be Cassie and her coven.
I stood up and walked outside. The sky was still bright and sunny which made me smile; I looked around and they were all hidden. I knew that they were there and I wasn’t afraid because I knew that I could get away; but then again so did they. Which made me a bit on edge wondering why they would try to attack me when they know that I will just make an entry way and escape.
“Cassie, I know you are there,” I said, letting the lack of surprise sound in my voice.
“Come to visit Christian did you? He’s not here,” she said in her usually self assured voice.
“Well that much I could figure without your help.”
“He went back to the other world, been drinking up a storm. So much like the Christian I use to know and enjoy.”
“Do you have a specific reason for bugging me or is this just a random annoyance?”
“I was just wondering if you had made up your mind to join us yet?”
“I have given you that answer already.”
“Then I guess I will have to take things into my own hands even more. I am tired of waiting, it sure is a pity that Christian isn’t here right now. Or maybe it is a good thing that he isn’t. I have to wonder about him at times,” she let her last sentence drop off.
I stood there looking at her, not sure what her goal was, but I had to agree I did wish Christian was here. I didn’t like the way she had said that he was the old Christian again; I felt guilty as if I had driven him to it. I was ready when the first vampire pounced on me; we never hit ground till we landed in the other world. He didn’t bite me, but he scratched me deep. I looked at him as he stood hovering over me.
It was only a minute later that I was surrounded again; this time it was Winifred in the center of the group. They stood around me, I watched her carefully then I noticed the crowd begin to move to one side. They made a space for Christian to come through; he was in attack mode with that very scary look that was the face he wore here. It took everything I had to keep from screaming. He was immediately drawn to the deep scratch that the other vampire had given me. Cassie had counted on me escaping to this world.
Without any time to react he was on me and began to bite me. I heard Winifred goading him to make me drink of his blood, to turn me. I screamed out at him this time, trying to get him to hear me, to really see me. I watched in horror as he punctured a hole in his wrist. He looked down at me as I begged him to stop. He hesitated; this was my only chance to try to get through to him.
“Christian, don’t let them make you do this,” I pleaded softly. He didn’t say anything.
“You know you want her, you are drawn to her, once you change her she will always be yours,” Winifred goaded.
“This is not how you want it; if you just look inside yourself you’ll know the truth. Fight it Christian.”
“Christian, are you really going to let her tell you what to do? She doesn’t know the real you, only the fake part that lives in that other world. You know you want to have her forever, and you know how to do it.”
“Please don’t do this,” I begged him as tears rolled down my cheeks. I knew I would have to escape, but I just wanted to know that he wasn’t that different in this world. I needed to know that there was more to him than that which he was portraying right now.
He was visibly torn as he looked back and forth between the two of us. At that moment I knew he was not pure evil in this world; he had faltered. The good things about him were only shut out here in this world not nonexistent. I pulled away and quickly escaped back to my world. I put the container away in the wall storage and pulled out my mother’s journal.
It was time for me to learn the rest of what had happened between my mother and Matthew that changed everything. If there was any hope for me and Christian I had to learn from what went wrong for her. I read through the next twenty pages which was filled with so many of my firsts. Matthew was portrayed as a typical doting father in my mother’s journal. The only time he left us was to go and feed, then he would return again. Anything that my mother or I needed he made sure was available to us.
‘Matthew has been so helpful, so loving and perfect in every way. Today has been the first day that I have seen anything to that was contrary to that. Jessina got her first tooth and she bit him. A flash of fear crossed over his face that scared me. He left to go feed after that and has been gone for hours now. He has never been gone this long before, I worry that something has happened to him. I know that I shouldn’t worry so much but I just can’t help it.
Jessina seemed upset that he was missing too, she has made five ferns, which seems to be her way of expressing him. Every time he leaves and doesn’t say anything to her before he goes she makes a fern. Today she seems just as upset as I am.
One of the women that had approached me at the stream before came by today. I don’t know if she saw Jessina make the plant but she scared her and Jessina caused the fog to roll in. She scared me too, all I could do was wish that Matthew was there to protect us. She said some really horrible things, saying that Matthew was only waiting till the time was right and that he would turn me. And as the baby got older we would turn her too. She said that then anything special about us both would be under his control and that would be a great help to all of them. I didn’t want to believe all the horrible things she was saying, but the longer he stayed away the more believable it became. She had told me of his plans, of why he was so long in the other world.
Matthew finally returned late last night, I could tell something was bothering him but he would not talk about it. He held me so tight that it scared me, it was if he was struggling so hard with something. Could he be considering trying to change me? What if he never really wanted to protect me, but he wanted to be able to control me and Jessina. When I was pregnant he couldn’t have possibly known what she would be capable of. I didn’t know, so how could he?
Has he seen what she could do? I knew that I could not trust the woman, but just because I couldn’t trust her motives. All I knew for sure was that I had to protect Jessina, I couldn’t let them get control of her. I knew that she had a lot of gifts already and more were probably due to come. I couldn’t let someone like that woman ever have any control over her; she would find a way to destroy this world and any others that could be accessed.
My doubts and his behavior have made things very tense, Jessina has been very fussy as of late and everything has gotten so bad. I don’t see how we can continue on like this, but I can’t see being without him. I have waited too long in my life to finally meet him, I just wish there was some way to fix this.
It has been days since I have written but I haven’t had a chance, now I don’t have a choice. I had to leave my world, and now I will have to leave Jessina. The other day I had stepped outside of the cave to get some fresh air, I heard the woman’s voice and Matthew’s. I slipped closer to hear what they were saying. The woman reminded him that he knew the answer to that. He agreed stating that it would make things a lot easier if I was turned.
I couldn’t believe what I had heard, but I heard it and I couldn’t risk anything every happening to Jessina. When I returned to get Jessina she was at the cave entrance and had made two more plants, but I didn’t have time to evaluate them I grabbed her and we ran. I took the first entry way I could get to and we ended up in England. I am already feeling the effects of being in this world too long, I am sixty five years old and this world is trying to catch me up biologically, of course I knew that this would happen.
Jessina is still young enough that her body could adjust to this world, as long as she never goes back there she will be able to adjust and live just as any other human in this world. I have just got to find a good family to take care of her.’
I looked up at the cave entrance and knew that the bushes were planted by me. Over the years they have grown up very tall. There had been no ferns here so my mother must have been hiding them as I created them. I looked down at the journal, there was only one page left that had writing on it and it was a letter directed at me.
‘My dearest Jessina,
I am very sorrowful about having to remove you from your home and to give you away. I looked hard to find just the right people for you and I am sure they will give you a safe and happy life. I requested that this be given to you when you are of age so that you know the truth about where you come from and why you can never go back. I know that it might seem odd that I knew you would be able to get the box open when you were ready but it is a small gift that I know will always be with you. One of those ties that cannot be broken. You were the best thing to ever happen in my life, I’ve lived a long and full life but nothing could ever compare to holding you in my arms. I hope that one day you will also be able to experience the same joy.
I must warn you to never attempt to find our old world because if you return to it, you will be affected forever and it will be un-repairable. For your body will start to change quickly and then if you try to live back in the world you are in your body will try to accelerate to catch up. Not that you would never be able to return to visit but never for very long.
I just want you to be careful, and be safe. Avoid areas of shimmering as that usually means it is an entry way, and it is very easy to get lost in other worlds. They do not behave the same as the world you have grown up knowing; this alone could put your life in danger. Please be careful and safe and know that you have had more than one set of loving parents.
With undying love,
Your mother.’
And there it ended. There was no more, no information regarding this world or the exact amount of time that I could spend back in the other world. I didn’t know what to expect out of this world and somehow I had expected her to help me know the truth. I didn’t know what all I was capable of and whether there was a purpose or requirement that came with it.
I had already done enough to disappoint her; I had found this world and was here now. I was marked with only one glimmer of hope of ending that. I put the journal away and then grabbed both the container for the blood and the container with the spices in it. As I sealed up the storage I became very determined, Christian would give me the blood I asked for; I would not accept no as an answer.
As I neared his cave I could hear yelling, it sounded like a fight; as I entered the clearing I saw Cassie and Winifred by the entrance. I knew that this could not be good but I couldn’t run away. I needed to end this before I removed the mark; I wanted all of them to think I still did have the mark that way they would leave me alone. I stepped out of the clearing and approached them, I was glad to see them with looks of shock on their faces.
“Cassie, this has got to stop. I will not bend to your wishes or desires neither as a human or a vampire.”
“Well I am surprised that you are here, but only because that saves me having to send someone with a message,” she said. Winifred slipped into the cave where I could still here a lot of yelling and cussing.
“What is your plan now, he wasn’t even willing to change me in the other world. You tried and you failed, neither of us is willing to help you get your way.”
“You’re right, to a certain point,” she said as she stopped and turned back towards the cave. Suddenly I heard Christian scream, this was a very painful scream that made my knees go weak.
She stepped aside as I rushed into the cave. There were five vampires holding Christian down as he screamed out. Winifred stood to the side with an empty syringe in her hand. I looked back at Christian who wasn’t fighting any more, I could tell where she had injected him because it was scared already.
“What did you do to him?” I demanded.
“Just gave him a little injection. It wouldn’t harm you, but for vampires it is deadly,” Winifred said as she slipped back out to join Cassie. I looked at Christian; it only took a second for me to know that they were pushing my hand. If what they injected into him was not harmful to humans, the only way I could save him was to suck it out just like they did with the venom from a snake bite. And with that I would not be able to avoid ingesting some of his blood at the same time. I looked up at the vampires that were still there some of them still holding him down.
“Get away from him and get out while you still can,” I said with such venomous anger boiling inside of me. I had very little time to react, I didn’t know how long he had but I just couldn’t let him die. Only one vampire left the others stood there as if challenging me.
“I warned you,” I said as I knelt down and touched the ground. With precision aim I opened entry ways beneath each of them, sending them to the middle of a desert. I rushed over to Christian.
“Christian, I need your permission to take an ounce of your blood,” I said.
“No, I don’t want you to change.”
“I don’t either, I need the blood for a spell to remove your mark on me, then I can save you and not change,” I begged of him.
“No,” he said weakly.
“I intend to attempt to save you either way, but I would rather have a chance to avoid turning if possible. So give me the right to take your blood.”
“Fine, but I would rather you didn’t try. I would rather end this miserable existence of mine.”
I didn’t respond, I took a knife poked through his arm and tried not to gag as the blood slowly ran from his arm into the container. Once I had the one ounce I took the herbs and mixed them together and then downed it. The herbs thankfully had the stronger taste and covered up any taste of the blood. I stood up and paced for a minute, not sure if it happened right away or not. I didn’t know exactly how long it took or how long he had; but hopefully it all turned out for the best. Christian let out a scream and I knew there was no more time, if the spell didn’t work then I would turn.
“You are a lot stronger than I thought. You can actually just stand by and watch him die. You aren’t even running,” Cassie said from behind me.
“I have no intention of running. I intend to save him and then I am coming after you,” I said as I turned my attention to Christian.
I began to suck the poison out of his arm and then I would spit, but I knew that I hadn’t been able to completely keep from swallowing some of it. At some point I didn’t realize when but I stopped spitting and just started drinking. Christian had to push me away; as I sat back up I looked at him. You could see the concern in his face; my own feelings mirrored his look. I was angry with myself, what kind of being was I that could do this. Maybe I was like Cassie and born to be a vampire. But hopefully the spell worked and I will be safe for a little while longer.
I couldn’t stand to see Christian looking at me that way. I stood up and looked at Cassie and Winifred who were both smiling like cats that had eaten the entire aviary. Suddenly deep inside something just snapped, Cassie was at the center of all my problems. She was the one that put the doubts in my mother’s mind, the one that convinced her that Matthew would try to change her. Maybe he would have, but she was the one that started things wrong.
She was the one that had been the core of my problems, the reason that I was faced with this problem today. Suddenly I lunged at her and knocked her out of the cave; it hurt like hell but at least I had given her a good jolt. She stood up and laughed at me. I rushed her again, she knocked me down.
“Wow this is truly amazing, you are going to be a big asset to us,” she said.
“I won’t be helping you with anything. I can understand why my mother risked death to stay away from you,” I said as I lunged at her again.
“You’re mother?” she asked as she grabbed my arm.
“Yes, she lived in the cave before me, about 18 years ago.”
“Oh, now that is priceless, she was your mother? That explains your abilities. Hmm, if I had known that you were capable of this I wouldn’t have manipulated her into running.”
“You did what?”
“Oh please, if you know that I was there surely you realized the complications of having Matthew falling for a human that he had no intention of turning?” she asked as she let me yank free of her grasp. I stood and looked at her.
“But she heard the two of you talking.”
“A very carefully planned conversation. I knew exactly how Matthew would respond and I goaded him into saying exactly what I wanted her to hear. Unfortunately your mother did not hear the start or finish of the conversation, humans can be so naïve and ignorant.”
“You little b***h,” I said as I prepared to lunge at her again. But before I could react; in a flash she was pinned up against the side of the cave by Matthew.
“All these years, and it was you,” he yelled.
“Matthew it had to happen, it couldn’t last. You are one of the originals and you know that a vampire can’t have a relationship with a human without seriously hurting them or turning them. I saved you from all that pain. I had hoped that she would just let you turn her, but as it was it saved you so much pain.”
“Cassie you caused me more pain than you could ever imagine. But I know better than to think you could really care.”
“Matthew this is about the greater good for our kind, for our survival. People like her mother they are weak as humans and too afraid to turn. She gave up her child to protect herself.”
“That is not true,” I screamed out. The anger boiling up inside me so badly that I couldn’t stop it. “Matthew, step away from her now.”
“Jessina, I’ll take care of her.”
“Matthew step away now,” I said as I called out. As the lightning struck I fell and suddenly Matthew was there holding me.
“Jessina, are you ok?” he said as he held me close against him.
“I don’t feel too good; my head is a bit dizzy. Too many options as to what could be the cause.”
“If I had any idea that you were still alive I would have searched for you,” he said as he gently touched my face.
“My mother loved you, but then you left and Cassie filled her with doubt…,” I tried to get it all out, but the tears were getting in the way.
“Shhh, it’s going to be ok. Let’s get you inside,” he said as he lifted me up. I looked back at the spot where Cassie had been and there was nothing but black in the area.
“If you hadn’t moved,” I stammered as I realized I could have killed him too. Just a day ago I was still angry that he was alive and my mother was dead and now I was thankful that I hadn’t killed him. This world was driving me crazy.
“It’s over now,” he said as we moved into the cave. Winifred was nowhere to be seen.
Christian still looked very pale, he set me down and went to check on Christian.
“Is he going to be ok?”
“What happened here?” he asked.
I explained everything, I even told him about the spell and the drinking of Christian’s blood. He looked at Christian’s healing arm, though there was a scar from the injection site that followed the vein up his arm. It was hard dealing with seeing him like that. I started to get dizzy again, maybe I was turning after all, which meant the spell must have failed.